December 27, 2009

Hmmm. But the administration also didn't see the warnings — relayed the suspect's own father — that Abdulmutallab was a threat. It's the administration's duty to see the "dots" and connect them. Now, I know they are mopping up after a failure, and there is reason to want to portray the attack as coming out of the blue and unconnected to anything that should have been the subject of close monitoring, but — damn — I hope they are doing a better job than they look like they are doing. And if they don't look like they've been doing a good job, then they aren't even doing a good job of mopping up after their failure.

87 comments:

I was at a hockey game last night (The Canes lost in shoot-out to the Flyers. Dang.) and during a very nice performance of the National Anthem I wondered how many people sitting around me knew that if something had gone slightly different the only planes in the sky for this week would have been Air Force One coming back from Hawaii.

I am the last to criticize a president b/c a gov't agency too huge to control screwed up, but if you have the modern Oveta Culp Hobby on staff you don't send her out.

The Powerline article states, as many others have, that the British government refused young Umar a visa earlier this year -- inferring that it was because the Brits were aware he was a sudden security risk. That's not quite true. He lied in his application about going to attend a college which didn't exist.

However, it is absolutely true that he shouldn't have been allowed to fly OUT of Nigeria, without extra extra scrutiny, especially given that he paid cash, and refused to provide forwarding addresses and telephones, because his father denounced him to the Nigerian authorities directly.

Incidentally, maybe it was the post-Christmas turkey which gave Janet Napolitano a sleepy demeanour and Mr. Snuffle-upagus delivery in responding to Candy Crowley's questions, but looking at her as the first official Obama Administration response, I was so not impressed.

She wasn't reassuring at all, and seemed to be in ostrich-in-sand mode: "No! The airports are safe."

One wonders how engaged she would've been in contrast, if it had been a Tea Party terrorist which tried to blow up the NWA airliner...

OT: About the new link in the banner. When even sockpuppet kings like Glenn Greenwald are right, it's hard to defend Ann. I sometimes go (using my the same ID) to some sites to argue in favour of Ann's point du jour, when I feel she has been misconstrued, but I couldn't do so yesterday with the Camp David nonsense.

I did not find this part of the article particularly reassuring and confidence building that this administration is sufficiently competent:

" ..Ms. Napolitano, who said repeatedly on the Sunday programs that the system had “worked” because passengers jumped on Mr. Abdulmutallab as he tried to ignite a highly explosive powder mixture, PETN, also called pentaerythritol tetranitrate, that he had taped to his leg."

Re: the link in the banner. I guess the takeaway is, when you cannot address very valid arguments regarding hypocrisy, shoot the messenger.

Is it now not valid to point out that those who claim they are on the right side of history are doing no favors for their side when they needlessly dump hundreds of metric tons of CO2 for the sake of a warm weather vacation?

You are absolutely right Ann! But instead of honestly assessing their incompetence, the TSA rushed out new "restrictions" that will make air travel even more uncomfortable than it already is.

Apparently the problem is not that a reported Muslim terrorist was given a visa and allowed on an international flight into the U.S.

The real problem according to the TSA is that people are using laptops during the last hour of the flight, or that they are looking at the nice little digital maps to ascertain how much longer they have to be stuck in the cattle car.

The new security measures are part of the cover-up! It's a means to distract from the real issue. TSA has long been famous for pursuing security theater instead of real security, and this is more of the same-- the process is just thrust into quick-mode now to try to deflect from the political embarrassment.

The other really disturbing aspect of this is that Napolitano said the new restrictions are "designed to be unpredictable". WTF?! TSA regulations part of the law, aren't they? You have to follow them when you get on a plane or you get locked up by the brainless thugs in blue shirts, don't you? We don't normally accept laws that are "designed to be unpredictable" in this country, do we?

Oh, wait... I get it... "Designed to be unpredictable" means that the TSA can do whatever it wants and doesn't need to be accountable to anyone. You had better stop asking questions or they'll put you on a no-fly list. It'll be unpredictable for you, though... No one will tell you that you are on the government's harassment list until you and your family are about to check in for that trip to Disneyland.

Repeating my point from the other post: Witness the Sec of the Dept of Homeland Security: "the system worked" and "we're focused on ensuring that the air environment remains safe". If it wasn't safe on Christmas, then it cannot remain safe. The system failed miserably.

I used to fume when I would hear the Kerrys and Clintons of our political class insist that we needed to spend more on first responders. I insisted to my friends that they believed homeland security meant having enough people to take care of the dead and wounded after an attack. In their minds, there are no effective or allowable proactive measures that can be taken. The only logical thing to do about terrorism is fund and use law enforcement and EMT as a reaction to an attack. Unfortunately, Janet's latest commentary seems to be proving me correct.

Except, you know, the suspect's admission that he's a member of Al Queda and got his bomb in Yemen. But I'm sure they're really investigating that thoroughly now that Napalitano has telegraphed what she expects her underlings to find.

vbspurs: John McCain: "The fundamentals of our economy are strong" (2008).

Full context:"Our economy, I think, is still -- the fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times,'' McCain said. "I promise you, we will never put America in this position again. We will clean up Wall Street."

And, of course we have this:"Of course the fundamentals are sound," Obama economic adviser Christina Romer said Sunday (March, 2009).

I suppose if the purpose of the TSA is to give normal passengers the impression of safety with expensive and annoying safety procedures, while doing nothing to stop terrorists, then yes, the system did work.

Several police vehicles and a police command unit have surrounded a plane at Detroit's Metro Airport.

Metro Airport spokesman John Witner said there was a report of suspicious activity on the Delta/Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam Sunday. That is the same flight number as the flight that a Nigerian man was suspected of attempting to blow up over Detroit on Christmas Day.

As ever, Rialby, it's about choosing your words carefully to reflect the perception of the day. McCain's rhetorical flourish, reflecting his Republican audience's essential belief and pride in America, was made at the worst possible moment.

@AprilApple- And how exactly is that different from W's administration? They were no exemplars of good governance either. If you are going to point out the faults in our government just so your side can get back in charge, then you are doing so for reasons that are both simple-minded and dangerous.

Yep, the system worked, alright:let a Muslim terrorist on the no-fly international list, flagged by his own father, board with explosives.Then rely on a Dutch passenger to put out the fire before the explosives detonate. Then punish the entire flying public by making them stay in their seats the last hour, with nothing from their carry-ons in their seat.

Helluva system you've got there, Napolitano.

Maybe Obama ought to replace Dem hacks like Napolitano with someone who, you know, actually "gets" what the job is.

There's another brouhaha over comedian "guest blogger" Steve Marmel's post at HuffPo. Apparently, he wrote a blogpost called "Vacation's Over, Mr. President". But it went down the memory hole, stating that he was wrong to post it.

"It’s Christmas day, and the only thing that stopped 12/25 from feeling a lot like 9/11 was a failed detonator and a guy named Jasper Schuringa. Weather now seems like a quaint travel threat – like a cold does compared to the Bubonic Plague.

It&apos;s December 26th, and the last of my guests arrive keenly aware of what happened over the skies of Detroit. Across America, everybody’s gut tightens and old fears and old wounds re-open.

Meanwhile, the president continues his vacation. News that he hit the gym 15 minutes after being briefed on the attack – and had a lovely time playing golf later that day – begin to trickle in.

America lucked out this holiday season. It’s as simple as that. Something terrible could have happened and It was the bravery of passengers, and the ineptitude of a would-be terrorist, that prevented it.

Not the police bottlenecking the only road into the airport. Not the nice lady making sure my liquids were in the right containers. Not the German shepherd sniffing my boy parts.

It was luck.

And if you’re like me – that scared the crap out of you. You probably wanted assurances. What will be done to prevent this? How are we reacting?

If you’re like me, you’re not looking for Attorney General Eric Holder, or Representative Pete King to be telling you how it could have been worse or how it will be managed.

When the nation is attacked, I expect to be informed and hopefully calmed by the President of the United States."

HI. TERRORISM IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PREVENT AT 100%. Grow a pair. Stop deluding yourselves. The president is not an action hero who fights terrorists in hand to hand combat. Any freedom of movement in a democracy will leave loopholes for determined psychos to exploit. Stop wetting your pants. The government cannot banish death from this fallen world.

Far above vbspurs offers: "However, it is absolutely true that he shouldn't have been allowed to fly OUT of Nigeria, without extra extra scrutiny, especially given that he paid cash, and refused to provide forwarding addresses and telephones, because his father denounced him to the Nigerian authorities directly."

To which I must reply, "Shirley, you jest."

You're talking about NIGERIA. Which means you are talking about a country so hammered, so whacked out, so useless, and so utterly awful and off the end of the world that it's major exports are scams and terrorists.

Never forget that the TSA is the product of Tiny Tommy Daschle (our original health czar), who told us, "You don't professionalize unless you federalize", in other words, we need a bunch of unthinking union slugs doing this work and Norman Mineta who wanted to get even with America because his family was interned during WWII.

When Napolitano (Janet, not Andrew, although she's built like him) says the system's working, she means it's functioning as the typical government boondoggle the Demos intended it to be.

ted said...

Airport security?? hey, look over here:

Its a lie to call them Death Panels!!!

It's all Bush' fault!!!

We are still cleaning up!!!

The economy is on a rebound!!

We're almost ready to think about closing Gitmo!!

Inspector Clouseau reacted in time!!

Did I mention it's all Bush's fault?!!

The next installment is, "We're sending grief counselors to every family touched by this man-caused disaster which has nothing to do with any organization and should not be blamed on Islam, The Religion Of Peace".

The Muslim terrorists taught us a lesson on Friday. We can consider it a Christmas present from them to all of us. They reminded us that our security protocols are for show, that even an incompetent fool who was reported to US officials can get through our so-called "security" and almost kill hundreds, and that our government is more concerned about covering its ass than about pursuing its job effectively. We should accept the lesson with grace.

And how exactly is that different from W's administration? ... If you are going to point out the faults in our government just so your side can get back in charge, then you are doing so for reasons that are both simple-minded and dangerous.

Julius is right.

And who would you replace Nap. with? Chertoff? Palin? Mike Brown? And can someone describe to me how affective profiling will be after the first week?

I agree that the TSA is having major problems. But I see none of you coming up with good solutions. Y'all sound more like you're happy to get at Obama (whom I didn't vote for) and his minions than anything else

"I agree that the TSA is having major problems. But I see none of you coming up with good solutions."

Here's a solution: If a person gets put n the TIDE list, revoke their fucking permission to enter our country.

Any moron would know to do that, but it's a big fucking debate with this Administration. They're wringing their fucking hands over such a basic security step.

They're fucking stupidly incompetent, and frankly you can't convince them of the rightness of your position because they don't want to be convinced. They don't want to find evidence of a wider terrorist plot.

My mother, nearly 92, was recently subject to a rather invasive special search -- at random, of course -- before boarding a plane. Along with a good tongue-lashing by the two TSA women -- affirmative action hires -- assigned to search her.

The Israelis figured out a long time ago that it's far easier and far more successful to identify bad PEOPLE than to find bad things.

Hundreds, if not thousands, more Americans will have to die before we sweep away all this politically-correct, affirmative action security theatre.

When the commanding general at Ft. Hood expresses his concern that the terrorist attack there in November might threaten "diversity" ... we have a fundamental error of approach in this country.

We saw the results in Detroit, we saw them at Ft. Hood, and we will see them yet again.

Sabinal: I've posted hundreds of entries about various aspects of the DHS. If they had spent less time promoting amnesty, giving worthless speeches, meeting with "stakeholders" (which don't represent a big segment of the U.S.) and on and on they would have had more time to spend on doing their real job (as opposed to pushing BHO's political agenda).

And how exactly is that different from W's administration? ... If you are going to point out the faults in our government just so your side can get back in charge, then you are doing so for reasons that are both simple-minded and dangerous.

Julius is right.

Julius is full of it. This is about attitude, as much as anything else. When the current administration starts talking about man-caused disasters and kowtowing to every non-white monarch it can find, the bad guys know they're going to have an easier time.

And who would you replace Nap. with? Chertoff? Palin? Mike Brown? And can someone describe to me how affective profiling will be after the first week?

Actually, Palin would be a good choice, reformer that she is. I have no doubt a lot of PC slugs, including some from Dubya's term, would get the boot pronto.

Bart Hall (Kansas, USA) said...

My mother, nearly 92, was recently subject to a rather invasive special search -- at random, of course -- before boarding a plane. Along with a good tongue-lashing by the two TSA women -- affirmative action hires -- assigned to search her.

The Israelis figured out a long time ago that it's far easier and far more successful to identify bad PEOPLE than to find bad things.

You raise the real point here, brother Bart. The Israeli way works, but you need thinking people to implement it, and the Demos see the TSA as another patronage boondoggle. Maybe if Congress and Cabinet members started flying commercial...

Your mom's experience was similar to that my of blonde, green-eyed fair skinned wife who has a titanium knee replacement. She gets strip-searched every time, and, in one case, a couple of Islamic women, complete with head scarves, are waved on through.

As I fgured, someone would put Palin up there...she has about as much experience as Obama when it comes to issues. And I'm gonna look up LoneWackoCo's suggestions. Also, Florida, you're right. So are you going to write to your Senator with your demands? I am, using some of y'all ideas.

As I fgured, someone would put Palin up there...she has about as much experience as Obama when it comes to issues.

No, dear, Miss Sarah has actually administered and governed a city and a state. She's actually had to provide for people's security in natural and man-caused disasters. Bambi has done nothing but vote, "present", which he's doing right now.

Marcia said...

Napolitano knew she could get by with saying "The system worked," because Sarah Palin had already been named the winner for "lie of the year."

Wanna bet? Miss Sarah turned the health care debate on its head with the truth of the year. Napolitano is going to be hounded out of office for this whopper.

In order to stop an epidemic of child abuse that the local sheriff and social services agency could not establish, Reno had more than 40 men women and children killed at Waco. Napolitano's butt has no notches so far.

It's apparently an ill passenger - not unruly. Reading between the lines, the man had a bad case of diarrhea, needed to use the bathroom repeatedly, and, understandably in the urgency of the situation, ignored flight attendants' orders to stay in his seat during the last hour of the flight. The flight attendants therefore reported an "emergency" complete with vehicles surrounding the plane on landing and an FBI investigation.

I'm not sure whether I'm more annoyed at Napolitano and the TSA genius who came up with the bathroom restriction which made something like this inevitable, or at the flight attendants who turned a case of the runs into a national emergency. But I think I can say with confidence that this performance did not "keep us safer".

When I see these blatant false statements slide so easily off the forked tongues of the hero DemonRats, with full confidence that any critic will be personally attacked as an angry right wing fanatic by the kowtowing government media, I am reminded of that way that illegitimate power shows off its power: by punishing the totally innocent observer. To punish an actual wrongdoer is a simple act of justice. Real tyrants always show off their power by punishing the innocent in order to induce terror among the innocent.

This is really serious matter for Nigeria. Nigeria economy is emerging and business from other countries are taking interest in the products of Nigeria, such things can also disturb number of flights to Nigeria.